{"id":2320261,"date":"2024-08-06T21:33:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-07T01:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/another-suspect-tried-to-assassinate-trump-pakistani-man-charged-in-potential-connection-to-murder-attempt\/"},"modified":"2024-08-06T21:36:51","modified_gmt":"2024-08-07T01:36:51","slug":"another-suspect-tried-to-assassinate-trump-pakistani-man-charged-in-potential-connection-to-murder-attempt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/another-suspect-tried-to-assassinate-trump-pakistani-man-charged-in-potential-connection-to-murder-attempt\/","title":{"rendered":"Another Suspect Tried to Assassinate Trump? Pakistani Man Charged in Potential Connection to Murder Attempt"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fanother-suspect-tried-to-assassinate-trump-pakistani-man-charged-in-potential-connection-to-murder-attempt%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2320261&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The U.S. Justice Department announced charges against Asif Merchant, a 46-year-old \u2063Pakistani man with ties to Iran, for \u2064a plot to assassinate U.S. politicians, including former President Donald Trump. Merchant allegedly arrived \u2063in\u200d the U.S.\u200c in April with\u2063 plans to hire hitmen,\u200b having paid \u2064$5,000 to\u200b <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-brothers-admit-selling-guns-they-believed-were-bound-for-mexico\/\" title=\"California brothers confess to selling guns they thought were destined for Mexico.\">undercover agents posing<\/a> \u2063as assassins. <\/p>\n<p>The\u200b indictment reveals that Merchant had discussed multiple schemes, including stealing documents and \u2062staging\u200d protests as distractions during the assassination. \u200bHis motives were linked to grievances he believed affected Pakistan and the \u2064Muslim world. \u2064 <\/p>\n<p>Attorney General \u200cMerrick Garland noted that\u200b this plot\u2064 is part of Iran&#8217;s broader retaliation\u2062 efforts in response to the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani \u2064in 2020. The FBI asserts that such foreign-directed plots pose serious threats\u2063 to U.S. national security. Merchant was \u2063arrested shortly\u2064 after making travel arrangements to leave\u200c the country.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section>\n<p>The Justice Department announced Tuesday that a Pakistani man with ties to Iran has been charged in an assassination scheme of U.S. politicians and government officials.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;FBI investigators believe that [former President Donald] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trumps-two-word-reaction-kamala-harris-vp-pick-says\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Trump<\/a> and other current and former U.S. government officials were the intended targets of the plot, a U.S. official briefed on the matter said,&rdquo; according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/08\/06\/politics\/iran-trump-assassination-charges\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CNN<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-edny\/media\/1362826\/dl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Court documents<\/a> filed in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-announces-new-legal-team-for-impeachment-defense-after-previous-team-collapsed\/\" title=\"Trump Announces New Legal Team For Impeachment Defense After Previous Team Collapsed\">federal district court<\/a> in New York showed Asif Merchant, 46, traveled to the United States in April, with plans to hire hitmen, who would receive their first target in late August or early September.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Justice said a confidential source informed the FBI of Merchant&rsquo;s efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Undercover law enforcement agents then met with the Pakistani man, who paid them $5,000 as an advance payment to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hot-mic-fauci-calls-republican-senator-a-moron\/\" title=\"HOT MIC: Fauci Calls Republican Senator A \u2018Moron\u2019\">kill government officials<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>  <script> \t\t\t\tif( ! getCookie( 'ff_subbed' ) ) if( typeof FFADS.replace_ict !='undefined' ) if( FFADS.replace_ict ) eval( FFADS.replace_ict ); \t\t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Merchant allegedly told the confidential source that he traveled to Iran two weeks before coming to the U.S. and offered multiple times to pay the source to travel to Iran himself.<\/p>\n<p>In early June, Merchant met with the source in New York and explained &ldquo;his plot involved three different criminal schemes: (1) stealing documents or USB drives from a target&rsquo;s home; (2) planning a protest; and (3) killing a politician or government official,&rdquo; the indictment said.<\/p>\n<p>He also stated that the &ldquo;people who will be targeted are the ones who are hurting Pakistan and the world, [the] Muslim world. These are not normal people.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Merchant wanted to recruit men who would do the killing, approximately 25 people for the protest &ldquo;as a distraction after the murder occurred, and a woman to do &lsquo;reconnaissance.&#8217;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He noted that there were would be security around their intended target.<\/p>\n<p>On June 10, the confidential source arranged a meeting with Merchant and two men he was told were hitmen, but were actually undercover agents.<\/p>\n<p>Merchant later paid the undercover agents the $5,000 in cash and then made travel arrangement to leave the U.S. on July 12.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#128680;Here is the indictment of Asif Raza Merchant today for an <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a> regime plot to assassinate Trump and other officials on American soil. One thing stands out: very little detail about which Iranian government entities tasked the plot: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/IRGCterrorists?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#IRGCterrorists<\/a> or MOIS? 1\/&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/iKRi7I3P5C\">pic.twitter.com\/iKRi7I3P5C<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JasonMBrodsky\/status\/1820897406952861797?\">August 6, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>On that day law enforcement arrested him outside the front of the place he was staying.<\/p>\n<p>In a Tuesday <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-edny\/pr\/pakistani-national-ties-iran-charged-connection-foiled-plot-assassinate-politician-or\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news release<\/a>, Attorney General <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-jim-jordan-uses-special-counsel-report-repeatedly-hammer-merrick-garland-house-floor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Merrick Garland<\/a> linked the Merchant plot directly with Iran. He explained it was part of Tehran&rsquo;s efforts to retaliate against the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani during the Trump administration in January 2020.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Justice Department will spare no resource to disrupt and hold accountable those who would seek to carry out Iran&rsquo;s lethal plotting against American citizens and will not tolerate attempts by an authoritarian regime to target American public officials and endanger America&rsquo;s national security,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>FBI Director <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trumps-former-physician-savages-wray-suggesting-45-wasnt-hit-bullet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Christopher Wray<\/a> contended, &ldquo;This dangerous murder-for-hire plot exposed in today&rsquo;s charges allegedly was orchestrated by a Pakistani national with close ties to Iran and is straight out of the Iranian playbook.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;A foreign-directed plot to kill a public official, or any U.S. citizen, is a threat to our national security and will be met with the full might and resources of the FBI,&rdquo;&nbsp; he further stated.<\/p>\n<p>CNN reported, &ldquo;The FBI investigated the alleged international murder-for-hire plot in the weeks before a 20-year-old from Pennsylvania nearly assassinated the former president at one of his rallies. A law enforcement official told CNN that investigators have not found evidence that Merchant had any connection to the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> <label>* Name<\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> <\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> <label>* <\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> <\/div>\n<p> <label>* Message<\/label> <br \/> <textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\">  <\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Justice Department revealed on Tuesday that a Pakistani individual with connections to Iran has been charged in a conspiracy to assassinate U.S. politicians and government officials. According to a U.S. official familiar with the case, FBI investigators suspect that former President Donald Trump and other current and former officials were among the intended targets of this scheme, as reported by CNN. Court filings in a federal district court in New York indicated that 46-year-old Asif Merchant traveled to the United States in April with plans to hire hitmen, who were expected to receive their first target around late August or early September. The Department of Justice stated that an informant alerted the FBI about Merchant&#8217;s activities, leading undercover agents to meet him; he allegedly paid them $5,000 as an upfront fee for killing government officials.<\/p>\n<p>Merchant reportedly informed the informant that he had visited Iran two weeks prior to arriving in the U.S., offering multiple times for the source to travel there as well. In early June, he met with the informant in New York and outlined his plan involving three criminal schemes: (1) stealing documents or USB drives from a target\u2019s residence; (2) organizing a protest; and (3) assassinating a politician or government official. He claimed those targeted would be individuals harming Pakistan and the Muslim world, stating they were &#8220;not normal people.&#8221; Merchant aimed to recruit around 25 individuals for protests intended as distractions following any murder committed, along with one woman for reconnaissance purposes.<\/p>\n<p>On June 10, an arrangement was made by the informant for Merchant to meet two men he believed were hitmen but who were actually undercover agents. After paying them $5,000 cash later on, Merchant made plans to leave the U.S. on July 12 but was arrested by law enforcement outside his accommodation on that day.<\/p>\n<p>In a news release issued Tuesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland connected Merchant&#8217;s plot directly back to Iran as part of Tehran&#8217;s retaliation efforts against former Iranian General Qasem Soleimani&#8217;s assassination during Trump&#8217;s presidency in January 2020. Garland emphasized that &#8220;the Justice Department will spare no resource&#8221; in disrupting such plots against American citizens while condemning attempts by authoritarian regimes targeting public officials and jeopardizing national security.<\/p>\n<p>FBI Director Christopher Wray remarked that this alleged murder-for-hire scheme was orchestrated by someone closely linked with Iran and reflected typical Iranian tactics. He asserted that any foreign-directed attempt on public officials or U.S citizens poses significant threats requiring full FBI resources dedicated towards addressing it.<\/p>\n<p>CNN also noted ongoing investigations into an international murder-for-hire plot coinciding with another incident where a Pennsylvania man nearly attempted an assassination at one of Trump&#8217;s rallies; however, authorities found no evidence linking Merchant directly involved with this shooting incident<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2320262,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Asif-Raza-Merchant.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[6286,3985,36508,16182,3634],"class_list":["post-2320261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-assassination","tag-conspiracy","tag-crime-news","tag-pakistan","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Asif-Raza-Merchant.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2320261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2320261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2320261\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2320262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2320261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2320261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2320261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}